Methods and Systems for Extending Range and Adjusting Bandwidth for Wireless Networks

1. A communications base-station configured to operate as a hub in a wireless network and provide communication services to a set of remote customer devices using a wireless protocol, comprising: an antenna array having a plurality of antennae arranged in a fashion as to enable the antenna array to transmit and receive wireless signals using both a substantially omnidirectional and non-omnidirectional pattern; a physical layer (PHY) device coupled to the antenna array and configured to transmit and receive wireless signals; a media access control (MAC) device coupled to the PHY device and configured to: direct the antenna array to concurrently provide beamformed wireless signals to a first customer device and omnidirectional wireless signals to second customer device, both the first and second customer devices being included in the set of remote customer devices; and produce a communications protocol having a repeating alert window used for receiving wireless burst signals from customer devices; and an estimator configured to estimate a relative direction of each customer device based at least in part on the wireless burst signals from the customer devices using the alert window; wherein the antenna array is directed to provide the beamformed wireless signals to the first customer device in response to the relative direction for the first customer device estimated by the estimator based on the wireless burst signal received from the first customer device.

2. The communications base-station of claim 1 , wherein the estimator is configured to estimate the relative direction of each customer device using a measured signal strength of the received burst signals.

3. The communications base-station of claim 2 , wherein the communications base-station is configured to periodically scan a region surrounding the communications base-station using a beamformed antenna pattern to locate customer devices.

4. The communications base-station of claim 2 , wherein the MAC device is further configured to receive wireless signals using an adaptive beamforming technique capable of abating interference from at least one interference source.

5. The communications base-station of claim 1 , wherein the estimator is configured to determine a relative direction of customer devices using a database containing at least one of a relative direction and a geographic location relating to at least one customer device.

6. The communications base-station of claim 1 , wherein the MAC device uses a communications frame structure having an upstream portion and a downstream portion, and where each portion has both an omnidirectional and a beamformed section.

7. The communications base-station of claim 6 , wherein the omnidirectional and beamformed sections of the downstream portion have separate preambles.

8. A method to provide communication services by a communications base-station to a set of remote customer devices using a wireless protocol, comprising: receiving wireless signals of the wireless protocol transmitted by a plurality of customer devices having different directions relative to the communications base-station; concurrently demodulating the received wireless signals for a first customer device using a beamformed wireless technique and for a second customer device using an omnidirectional wireless technique, both the first and second customer devices being included in the set of remote customer devices; producing a communications protocol having a repeating alert window used for receiving wireless burst signals from customer devices; and estimating the relative direction of each customer device to the communications base-station based at least in part on the wireless burst signals from the customer devices using the alert window; wherein the beamformed wireless technique is utilized for the first customer device in response to the relative direction for the first customer device estimated by the estimator based on the wireless burst signal received from the first customer device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the estimating includes repeatedly scanning for burst signals transmitted by the first customer device, then determining the respective relative direction using a plurality of measured signal strengths of the scanned burst signals.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the beamformed wireless technique is an adaptive beamformed technique capable of abating interference from at least one interference source.

11. The method station of claim 8 , wherein the received wireless signals are organized according to a frame structure where each frame has an upstream portion and a downstream portion, wherein each portion has both an omnidirectional and a beamformed section, and wherein the omnidirectional and beamformed sections of the downstream portion have separate respective preambles.

12. The method station of claim 8 , wherein the received wireless signals are organized according to a frame structure where each frame has an upstream portion and a downstream portion, wherein each portion has an omnidirectional and multiple beamformed sections, and wherein the omnidirectional and beamformed sections of the downstream portion have separate respective preambles.